Freedman, Greene join on cable MM doc

By JOHN EVAN FROOK

Some call it the blockbuster doc.

"A Brief History of Time" executive producer Gordon Freedman has teamed with Anthony Greene to mount the production of "Marilyn Monroe, Life After Death," which is earmarked for November telecast on Showtime prior to its theatrical release. The pic is Freedman's directing debut.

Already in the can, "Marilyn's" post-production plans call for it to be assembled entirely in a digital D1 format and transferred directly to 35mm film. "There's no conceivable way to pay for the effects if we were to do them optically," Freedman said.

Freedman and Greene said digital post-production plans will allow them to soup up the documentary with dissolves, enhanced photographs and other effects that place it on a par with mainstream studio films. Because of the promise of the digital post-production work, Freedman said the $ 1 million to $ 1.2 million "Marilyn" could launch the beginning of a genre he calls the "mega-doc."

The 90-minute documentary chronicles Monroe's "survivability" as a legend via 16mm behind-the-scenes footage from "Bus Stop,""The Prince and the Showgirl" and Monroe's wedding to playwright Arthur Miller.

In addition, the movie utilizes more than 150 color and black-and-white photographs from the estate of photographer Milton H. Greene, the father of "Life After Death" producer Greene.

In bringing "Marilyn" to the fore, Showtime co-ventured on the project with Freedman/Greene, which controls international rights. The production company is discussing international distribution plans with potential buyers.

In exposing the picture on a worldwide basis, Freedman/Greene expects to enter a rough cut of the picture in the Cannes Film Festival, with the finished product expected to be ready by May. Freedman and Greene received some help in bringing the project to fruition, including equipment from Panavision, film from Agfa and post-production services from Hollywood Digital.

While the distribution strategy for the pic has not been finalized, "Marilyn" is shaping up to air on Showtime in November followed by theatrical release by an independent distributor.

Attorney and producer Bill Immerman expects specialized films to increasingly go to cable because of the escalating costs accompanying a theatrical release.

"Showtime and HBO have become a viable alternative to theatrical release of modest-budget pictures," Immerman said.

"The initial premiere of the film on a premium pay channel does not seem to negatively affect the performance of the picture in the homevideo market. In some cases, it creates an awareness that a limited release would not."